Sunday, January 10, 2010

The L.A. Times and L.A. Daily News reported that Carroll had resigned as head coach Southern California on Sunday. The Times reported that Carroll intends to accept the position as the Seahawks' next head coach. Carroll emerged as the leading contender for the Seattle job after the team fired Jim Mora on Sunday. He met with Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke on Sunday. Multiple outlets, including the Daily News, the Times, NFL.com and ESPN, had earlier reported that Carroll had reached a deal with the Seahawks. ESPN reported that Carroll had convinced his offensive coordinator at USC, Jeremy Bates, to join him in Seattle. Bates had been a contender for the Bears' vacant OC position. ESPN also reported that Ken Norton, Carroll's linebackers coach with the Trojans, will join him in Seattle. If the deal becomes official, it will be Carroll's third stint as a head coach in the NFL. He went 33-31 in four seasons with the Jets and Patriots in 1994 (Jets) and 1997-1999 (Patriots). -- Sean Leahy